Holness reconsidering bar closures, nightly curfew extended to May 13

The cries of thousands of bar operators who have had to close their businesses as part of the COVID-19 containment measures, have seemingly been heard by
Prime Minister Andrew Holness who says he is sympathetic to their plight.

Holness on Monday said there were more than 10,000 bars across the
country and the Cabinet has spent "a great deal of time" discussing the
impact of their closure.

The prime minister has signalled that there might be a relaxation of the measures on bars.

He said, apart from entertainment and social gathering purposes, bars provided  significant economic activity for many Jamaicans.

"We are studying the impact of the measures on the people whose livelihoods depend on the bars and we are very sympathetic to that situation and in a few days we should be able to say to the public exactly what measures we can take," Holness said.

However, the prime minister made it clear, that any measure being taken must conform
to public health protocols.

In the meantime, Holness said the existing lockdown measures for bars
will remain in effect until the end of the month.

The daily 6 p.m to 6 a.m curfew has also been extended until May 13.

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